Mumbai, March 4 (IANS) Team India are set for their sixth semi-final appearance in 10 editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and will face England in the knockout game here at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday with an aim to defend their World Cup crown.

The Men in Blue first made it to the top four in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007, where they beat Australia by 15 runs in Durban to confirm the final against arch-rivals Pakistan.

India posted 157/5 in 20 overs riding on the current head coach Gautam Gambhir’s 75-run knock. Later, top bowling performances by RP Singh and Irfan Pathan helped the then MS Dhoni-led side beat their neighbours in Johannesburg to lift their maiden T20 World Cup title.

The 2007 champions then failed to reach the top four in the next three editions in 2009, 2010, and 2012. They played their second T20 World Cup semi-final in 2014, where Virat Kohli’s 72 not out helped India overcome the challenge against South Africa in Mirpur.

India played their second final of the tournament against Sri Lanka at Dhaka’s Shere Bangla National Stadium, with Kohli bringing up yet another memorable knock of 77 off 58 balls. However, efforts went in vain as the islanders chased down the 131-run target in 17.5 overs to hand Dhoni and Co. a defeat.

Team India reached the semi-final for a second time in a row in the 2016 edition of the tournament, in what was their home World Cup, only to lose to the eventual champions West Indies by seven wickets in Mumbai.

Their fourth semi-final appearance came in 2022, when the tournament was hosted by the then-defending champions Australia. It was the first time that India faced England in a T20 World Cup knockout game.

England restricted India to 168/6 after choosing to bowl first, with Virat Kohli scoring a half-century and Hardik Pandya smashing 63 off 33 balls, while Chris Jordan took three wickets. In reply, England’s openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler dominated, chasing the target without losing a wicket and sealing a comprehensive 10-wicket win with four overs to spare, handing India a crushing defeat before going on to lift the title by beating Pakistan in the final.

The two sides faced off again for a second consecutive semi-final date in the 2024 edition of the tournament, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies. This time, India got the chance to settle the score and avenge their 2022 loss. Batting first, India scored 171/20 overs, led by Rohit Sharma’s 57, with key contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (47) and Hardik Pandya (23 off 13).

England faltered in the chase and were bowled out for 103 in 16.4 overs, with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav taking three wickets each and Jasprit Bumrah claiming two. India won by 68 runs and went on to lift their second T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa in the final.

The two sides are now set for a third consecutive T20 World Cup semi-final face-off.

–IANS

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